The present invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for conveying lasagne noodles from the stripper of a high production pasta oven in such a manner that the noodles may be continuously processed through a packaging line, without interruption.
In its more specific aspects, the invention is concerned with a packaging line wherein the output of the stripper is divided in half in order to reduce the speed at which the product is delivered through the line.
The high production oven and the associated stripper with which the apparatus and method of the present invention is used may vary in design. Such ovens and strippers are well known in the prior art and the invention is not intended to be limited to use with any particular oven or stripper. Typically, the ovens carry noodles draped over long sticks. In one oven with which the present invention is used, each stick carries 36 noodles, 2 inches wide and 20 inches long, on a side. The sticks carry the noodles so as to be spaced about one-half inch from one another and the oven discharges the sticks to the stripper at a rate of nine sticks per minute. Thus, the stripper discharges noodles at a rate of 324 pieces per minute, each of which pieces comprises a folded over element having two 20-inch long sides. If the noodles produced at this rate are reduced to 10-inch long sections, the total of 1,296 pieces per minute are produced.
The high production rate of the prior art ovens and strippers has necessitated that packaging operations be discontinuous in the sense that it has been necessary to physically remove noodles from the production line during stripper operation in order that these noodles might be stored and then later processed for packaging. Such discontinuous operation has been necessary because of the physical limitations on the rate at which noodles may be cut to size, grouped in predetermined counts for packaging and, ultimately, packaged.